Google Testing “Buy Now” Button To Hit Amazon Right In The Kisser

If there's one thing Google loves doing, it's barging into an area of the market where its biggest competitors excel and make its presence known. The latest proof of that comes to us in the form of a "Buy Now" button, mimicking the one-click purchase mechanic Amazon has enjoyed for quite some time. Should Amazon be scared? Probably not, but there's little denying that Google's impact could be notable.

It might seem a little odd for Google to pursue something like a "Buy Now" button if it doesn't even have a marketplace like Amazon, but it'd come into play through the search results. If you search for an Intel processor today, for example, you'll see shopping results from various etailers. What would change is that a "Buy Now" button would be added, so that clicking it would put you on the fast-track to completing the transaction.

Outside of the added button, Google would be staying out of the actual transaction part of the deal - the etailer would still be handling that entirely. It goes without saying, then, that this move could bring some major changes down the road with how etailers are ranked or trusted in Google's search engine. If one company that makes use of the quick-buy option has many complaints, it goes without saying that Google would de-prioritize them. On the other side of the coin, Google could establish "trusted" etailers this way.

Google's keeping mum on all of that, though, because as it is, even it is unsure of how things will play out. The company may find that there's little impact to be made, and whenever that's the case, it considers it to be dead weight (I still miss you, Google Reader!). We'll see how things progress, and if you happen to spot one of these "Buy Now" buttons in the wild, let us know!